This invention relates to an adapter for connection to an external power supply, and more particularly to an adapter detachably connected between an external power supply such as a domestic power supply and a battery box of a battery-operated device such as a battery-operated toy to supply the device with an external electric power.
Conventionally, a battery-operated device such as a battery-operated toy using a battery means as its power supply includes a battery box provided with an electrical contact section, into which a vessel having a plurality of batteries received therein is inserted.
The conventional battery-operated toy is constructed so as to utilize only the battery means, so that it is not possible to connect it to an external power supply such as a domestic power supply without any alteration. Therefore, when it is desired to connect the battery-operated toy to the external power supply for the purpose of, for example, demonstrating it at a store front or a shopwindow for a long period of time, it is necessarily required to alter a power supply section of the toy such as a battery box so that it may be connected to the domestic power supply. However, such an approach causes the power supply section of the toy to be highly complicated in construction.
Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to develop an adapter for readily connecting a battery-operated device to an external power supply such as a domestic power supply as desired without altering or modifying the construction of the device.